Main menu

The $5K Datsun Go is a go in India

March 19, 2014

The Datsun Go will soon go on sale in Indonesia and South Africa, following India. Photo by Jay Ramey

Sales of Datsun cars officially restarted Wednesday after the brand's 30-year dormancy, with the first cars being delivered in India. Datsun of India announced pricing of the new Go hatchback, which is aimed at developing countries: Buyers in India will be able to purchase the Go for 312,270 rupees, which works out to about $5,091.

The front-wheel-drive Go is powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The glacial compact hatch can reach 62 mph in 13.3 seconds, though the payoff comes in the form of at least 47 mpg combined. With a length of 149 inches, it's a full 10 inches shorter than the U.S. market Ford Fiesta hatchback, but it does offer seating for four.

Buyers won't find too much in the way of the latest technology in the Go -- or an infotainment system, for that matter: This is meant to be a reliable budget car first. The Go will make do with 13-inch wheels, front disc brakes and drums in the back, though in top spec it'll also feature conveniences like tilt power steering, a multifunction steering wheel, remote keyless entry, front power windows and central locking.

The interior is pretty spartan, but the base model is meant to have a low starting MSRP. Photo by Datsun

The front-wheel drive was a clean-slate design, and in the Indian market, where it'll soon be joined by other Datsun models, the Go will take on other subcompacts such as the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti-Suzuki Alto 800. Datsun is hoping the Go will succeed in India and other countries in ways that the Tata Nano could not, though it's important to point out that the Go is aimed at other cars in its class and is not meant to take the Nano head on. Everything in the Go will be real-car sized, even though its price will undercut most of the competition by at least a thousand U.S. dollars.

Datsun will soon be launching the Go and other cars in Indonesia, South Africa and Russia, with Russia set to receive an exclusive sedan developed specifically for the local market on April 4.

However, corporate parent Nissan has no plans to bring Datsun to the U.S. or Canada.